It's a hard-to-find bottle, but I never thought I'd come across it at a pub!
I couldn't help but order a bottle and open it immediately 😋.
It has a unique and gorgeous aroma unique to Kumamoto No. 9 yeast and a full-bodied sweetness that is the very essence of sake.
The powerful gasiness and the lactic acidity derived from traditional sake brewing are irresistible....
I spent a pleasant evening with friends over a bottle of the best!
Hana-no-Ko Shuzo's "Sango 2025 Kago Shikonosai Sake".
Higo Kako" was a special type of rice grown in Kumamoto Prefecture during the Edo period (1603-1868), when it was said to be the best Higo rice under heaven. The brewer spent three years to revive the rice from 40 grains of unhulled rice, and this bottle was brewed in the Kikuchi River basin, a place where rice cultivation has continued for 2,000 years, using no fertilizers or pesticides.
The aroma is of discreet white peach fruit, marshmallow, and yogurt-like aroma. While the dissolved gas and high acidity give a sense of freshness, the mid-palate and lingering finish are dry, with a full flavor, a hint of bitterness, and a deep grain aroma that extends to the fullest. It is more complex than the previous year, with a stronger umami of rice.
A dish of spinach with sesame paste is recommended to match the subtle bitterness and umami.
Specific name: Undisclosed
Rice variety: Kago, produced in Wasui Town in the Kikuchi River basin
Production area: Kumamoto Prefecture
Alcohol percentage: 13
Yeast used: No.9 yeast
Sake strength:Not disclosed
Acidity: Not disclosed
Amino acidity: Not disclosed
Rice polishing ratio: undisclosed
Hananoka Sake Brewery is one of the leading sake breweries in Kumamoto. It has two brands, Hananoka for the local market and Sanchi for the global market. The icon on the Aztec-esque San-do label (nōsōin seal) is proof of the binding play in sake brewing, and in this case, counterclockwise from the top left, it means: no fertilizer, rice grown in the Kikuchi River basin, no agricultural chemicals, wooden vat brewing, no yeast, and no yeast added, and no sake yeast. The sake is only a moment after drinking it, but the producer's attention to detail is boundless.
As usual, I caught this bottle at the Hasegawa Sake Shop in Tokyo Station. It was a joy to open the bottle at the end of the year, when my work was finished and I had cleared one of my health issues. The carbonation is so vigorous that the lid flies off. The citrus aroma is gorgeous, and the deep sweet and sour taste is like champagne. A modern style of beautiful sake that will make you swoon😍.
⚫︎Rice: Kabashiko
⚫︎ Alcohol content: 13%.
Hi Jiji 😃.
Thank you for your work all year long 😌I hope you are in good health and can enjoy a good drink 🍶🤗.
Sanzu is the perfect place for opening drinks at the end of the year... 😃.
Jay & Nobby, I always enjoy reading your posts and thank you for your warm comments! Drink in moderation and let's both have a happy sake life next year 😆.
Drinking on Christmas Eve 🍶.
It's been a long time since I've had a baby. Since it was Christmas Eve, I chose a drink that could be drunk like champagne.
Schwashy, fruity aroma and slightly sweet like cotton candy 😋.
Purchased on 11/28/2025 Wadaya
Ingredients : Earlings
Basic Agricultural Regulation : Kikuchi River Basin / No Pesticides / No Fertilizers / Kimoto
Rice Polishing Ratio : Not disclosed
Alcohol content : 13
Nozomi 12th rank "Four Nozomi" cultivation without fertilizers
Shi-no-no-nozo" is brewed with the brewery's philosophy of "indigenous production climate and the spirit of prayer".
This bottle is brewed with "*Homase" rice from Edo Higo, which can be said to be the starting point of the brewery's philosophy.
Homase" is a native variety of Kumamoto rice from the Edo period, miraculously restored in recent years and grown naturally on the company's own farmland and by farmers in the Kikuchi River system.
It has a gorgeous aroma reminiscent of banana and pineapple, and nuances created by the benefits of the land and the diversity of microorganisms including yeast, which overlap and resonate as a complex flavor that is truly unique.
In addition, the Kikuchi River basin, the site of a rice culture that has continued for 2,000 years, is enriched by the rock water that gushes through the bedrock layers formed by the Aso eruption 90,000 years ago, enriching the rice production and people's lives in the area. It is precisely because the land has benefited from this historic land of production, which has been recognized as a Japanese Heritage site, that "Homase" rice is so richly harvested that it is said to be the best rice under heaven.
Kako 2025 New Sake Lot1
I like this wild graininess and dryness.
My personal favorite.
75/100
[Sweetness/Sweetness]
Sweet ☆☆☆☆⭐️☆☆☆☆☆☆Dry
Appearance.
[Color].
Almost colorless and transparent
Aroma》 《Fragrance》 《Nature》 《Aroma》 《Slightly short
Slightly short
Ginjo Aroma - Green apple
Ingredient aroma ○ Ear of rice
Aged aroma
Other
[Examples]
Mainly mild raw material aroma
Taste
[Attack]
Medium
[Texture]
Light
Tight
Fine texture of foam
[Taste]
Sweetness xLight
Acidity -Fresh and coarse
Bitterness -Savory bitterness
Umami (Full-bodied)
[Complexity]
Medium
[Hints of incense]
Slightly weak
Same as Kamitachiko
[Lingering]
Slightly short
Sourness and light sweetness in the first half are momentary.
Dry aftertaste is also short.
≪Characteristic Elements
≪Notes.
[Classification by flavor characteristics]
Sake with aroma
Sake with freshness ○
Mellow sake △
Mature sake
From the first sip, the wine is complex, with a three-dimensional flavor that is somewhat rough and rugged.
Acid reminiscent of citrus coexists with a strong core of umami.
A very powerful bottle.
Yesterday was the last day of work
So we had a drink to celebrate the end of the year!
So we had a bottle of Hananoka Shuzo's Sansho from Christmas!
This time it was 2024 Yamadanishiki Shichinonoso!
I opened a bottle of sake that I bought with a friend of mine who is now a sake connoisseur!
Let's enjoy it right away!
The first day
First, the aroma. It smells like a refreshing lactic acid drink!
When you put it in your mouth, it has a fruity sweetness that is not too strong.
The aroma also has a lactic acid drink-like flavor.
After that, it has a refreshing sweetness, and then shifts to a lingering bitter aftertaste, which is beautiful and irresistible~!
This is a delicious sake!
Day 2
I have the impression that the refreshing sweetness can be felt even though the schwarziness has become less pronounced.
But it's not too sweet, it's very refreshing, and the shift to the lingering soft bitterness is also very nice.
I still wish I could have had the energetic feeling of the first day, but this one is also delicious!
My wife also said that it was delicious, but that the more she drank it, the more it became bitter.
It's been a while since I've had a Sanbichi sake, and this was my first Nananozo sake! It was definitely a delicious sake!
Hi ma-ki-😃
The production land is very good 😍.
I remember Nino had a strong champagne 🍾 feeling, but I remember Nichinano as clean 🤔.
I'm not able to find it in our Hiroshima because there are no stores that carry it 😭...
Hi ma-ki-😃!
Wonderful 😍Sando's Seven Farm Breweries ✨ still delicious 🥰Sando 👍 is the perfect Christmas shwash 🥰Thank you for all your hard work this year 😊.
Hi ma-ki-, hello... you're opening a bottle of the luxurious Mr. Sanzu after giving up seven farms😇.
Definitely a good schwarziness 😀.
Good job on finishing your work 😀.
I'll be working hard until the 31st 🤣.
Hi ma-ki-😃Hello 😃Seven farm breweries ⁉️ are drinking very nice ones, I envy you 😆✨A sambudo shuwah in a warm room at this time of year is a luxurious moment 😁.
Thank you ma-ki- for all your hard work this year 😊.
Seven Farmers Brewery 😳‼️Wow, you are drinking good stuff ✨I hope you blow off your fatigue and have a happy holiday season and New Year 😊.
Hello ma-ki-😊.
Thank you for all your hard work this year, for your sake activities, and for your work 😊.
Ah! The drinking life doesn't end 😁.
Let's drink well within the year 😁.
Good evening ma-ki-San, thank you for another year of work 😍.
This is a high grade sake from Sansho 😍I thought it would be perfect to drop your friend into the sake swamp 🤣I'm glad to hear that your wife liked it too ✨ as a resident of Kyushu, I'm happy for you.
Hi ma-ki-, good evening here too 😌.
It's delicious and juicy and refreshing 😋✨
My mother-in-law was a big fan of the Nananou brewery, but my wife said it made her hot too 🤣.
It's really a delicious sake 🥰.
Good evening, ma-ki🌛.
Thank you for another year of hard work🙇.
I see you've opened a bottle of "Sanso" drunk guy, the perfect way to relax after a year of hard work 🥰.
It's one of the hardest drinks to buy unless you go to a store a bit far away😅.
Good evening, ma-ki-😃.
I see you've opened a bottle of the one you reviewed that you had previously purchased ✨.
I lost the timing to open it and have been storing it for New Year's 😅.
But I'm looking forward to drinking it based on your review😇.
On Christmas Eve, I wanted to drink something special. So, I chose my favorite San-do, the first Shi-no-jyo.
The aroma was refreshing, and as usual, the taste was shwashy. The sweetness and acidity are pleasant, and the umami of the rice can be felt gradually. It is still delicious. I wish I could buy Kago.
San-do Kago Shi-no-zozo 4390 yen (4-pack bottle)
Today is the last day of work‼️ cleaning is over and I was asked to buy sake for the company's final party.
Amongst all the delicious sakes like Hirotogawa, Kudokibe, Akabu, Romain, Houou Mita, etc., I found this one‼️👀‼️
It's a little over my budget, but I had to have it 💦.
Today's snacks are sushi, roast beef and dry food! The bottle opened with a pop 🎉.
The aroma is nice 💜💜The initial attack is tangy and mellow 💜The taste is sweet and juicy and luxurious 💜The employees were surprised and happy to see such a sake 👀‼️
Sometimes luxury is good. 🙆♀️
Hi TOMO 😃
Thanks for all your hard work throughout the year 😌I'm glad you were in charge of the buying process and got one that you all enjoyed 🤗.
It's a luxury at the end of the year ‼️
Refreshing aroma like muscat.
In the mouth, it has a gentle sweetness and a bubbly, bubbly taste that goes down the throat refreshingly. Tastes like champagne without acidity. There is a slight bitterness at the end.
Ubusuna 2025 Yamadanishiki Ninonosai
It was mild when the bottle was opened, but when it was poured, it was very shwashy.
Easy to drink due to its gorgeous acidity and low alcohol content.
The type of beer that can be poured